• What is flaxseed used for?
  • Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum L.), commonly known as flaxseed or linseed, is an annual crop mainly grown for oil, fiber, food, and feed purposes.
  • Why is flaxseed oil important?
  • (3) Flaxseed oil is rich in linoleic and ¦Á-linoleic acids; it is important to trace the metabolic pathways which lead to the conversion of these fatty acids into essential fatty, eicosapentaenoic, and docosahexaenoic acids that are required for normal human body growth and functioning.
  • Is flaxseed a functional food?
  • Flaxseed is regaining its status as a functional food after centuries of use as natural medicine. Flaxseeds can be used as roasted and milled seeds, while flaxseed oil can be used in various food formulations in the form of neat oils, stable emulsions and micro- and nano-encapsulated powder.
  • What fatty acids are in flaxseed oil?
  • Of all lipids in flaxseed oil, ¦Á- linolenic acid is the major fatty acid ranging from 39.00 to 60.42 % followed by oleic, linoleic, palmitic and stearic acids (Table 2 ), which provides an excellent ¦Ø-6:¦Ø-3 fatty acid ratio of approximately 0.3:1 (Pellizzon et al. 2007 ).
  • Where is flaxseed grown?
  • There is substantial variation among all these traits in the species. Flaxseed is grown for oil and fibre in India, Canada, China, United States, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Ethiopia. The oil has been used for industrial applications for centuries but uses in food and feed are now increasing ( Oomah & Mazza, 1998 ).
  • Can flaxseed proteins be used as emulsification agents?
  • High heat caused structural damage to the flaxseed proteins, which reduced both their solubility and EC. Flaxseed proteins exhibited good EC in both acidic and basic conditions; thus, they can also be used as an emulsification agent in nano-emulsions for the delivery of bioactive compounds.